Rank and
organization: Hospital Corpsman Third Class, United States
Navy

Place and date: Quang
Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam, 28 March 1966

Entered service at:
Coral Gables, Florida

Born: Jan 20, 1945 at
Clearwater, Florida

Citation:

For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond
the call of duty while serving as Corpsman with Company C, First
Battalion, Seventh Marines against elements of a North Vietnam
Aggressor (NVA) battalion in Quang Ngai Province Republic of
Vietnam on 28 March 1966. Petty Officer Ingram accompanied the
point platoon as it aggressively dispatched an outpost of an NVA
battalion. The momentum of the attack rolled off a ridge line down
a tree covered slope to a small paddy and a village beyond.
Suddenly, the village tree line exploded with an intense hail of
automatic rifle fire from approximately 100 North Vietnamese
regulars. In mere moments, the platoon ranks were decimated.
Oblivious to the danger, Petty Officer Ingram crawled across the
bullet spattered terrain to reach a downed Marine. As he
administered aid, a bullet went through the palm of his hand.
Calls for "CORPSMAN" echoed across the ridge. Bleeding, he edged
across the fire swept landscape, collecting ammunition from the
dead and administering aid to the wounded. Receiving two more
wounds before realizing the third wound was life-threatening, he
looked for a way off the face of the ridge, but again he heard the
call for corpsman and again, he resolutely answered. Though
severely wounded three times, he rendered aid to those incapable
until he finally reached the right flank of the platoon. While
dressing the head wound of another corpsman, he sustained his
fourth bullet wound. From sixteen hundred hours until just prior
to sunset, Petty Officer Ingram pushed, pulled, cajoled, and
doctored his Marines. Enduring the pain from his many wounds and
disregarding the probability of his demise, Petty Officer Ingram's
intrepid actions saved many lives that day. By his indomitable
fighting spirit, daring initiative, and unfaltering dedications to
duty, Petty Officer Ingram reflected great credit upon himself and
upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval
Service.

The Medal of Honor
was awarded to Doc Ingram by President Clinton at the White House
in Washington D.C. on 10 July 1998.

The following
transcripts are of CNN television coverage of the award ceremony,
and previous and subsequent television reporting.

Robert R. Ingram
Discusses Receiving Congressional Medal of Honor

Aired July 10, 1998 -
2:29 p.m. ET .

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN
ANCHOR: The Medal of Honor will be awarded in just a short time at
the White House.

Jonathan Karl joins
us now and he's with the recipient -- Jonathan.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN
CORRESPONDENT: Natalie, the president will present the
Congressional Medal of Honor to a man's whose war experience in
Vietnam sounds like a Hollywood movie, but there's nothing
Hollywood about it. It's the story of one man's heroics in combat.

That man, Robert
Ingram, joins me now here on the White House lawn.

Mr. Ingram, in this
citation that will be read today by the president, it says that
you disregarded the probability of your own death to save the
lives of others.

Did you think you
were going to die that day back in March, 1996?

ROBERT "DOC" INGRAM,
MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: I was totally convinced I was going to
die, yes.

CNN: What was
happening? How did you make that decision not to get evacuated? I
understand you had an opportunity to leave, you wanted to stay,
why?

"DOC" INGRAM: I'd
already been wounded twice before the head injury, and after the
head injury it was pretty obvious at that point that my head was
mush from the gunshot wound. It's not likely that I was going to
live through that. There was probably brain involvement and my
left eye was in pretty bad shape, I had no hearing.

At that point, I
really needed to decide what to do. I mean, you can lay there
under fire and die or you can get up and go. And I decided that
the men needed me out there if you're going to die, you might as
well die doing it.

My other corpsman at
that point was unconscious. I wasn't aware of it, but I found him
a few minutes later and he had been hit also.

CNN: Now, you were
doing more than just treating the injured Marines. You were
actually going out and gathering ammunition and giving it -- tell
us what was going on.

"DOC" INGRAM: Well,
after having been in combat for some period of time, you learn the
ways of the Marines, you learn the way of combat. And the fact is,
you can not allow the enemy to have the ammunition available.
You're going to need it, and each Marine I got to, I took his
ammunition, rifle, tried to move it out of sight, at least take
his ammunition and use it against the enemy.

CNN: Now, at one
point you returned fire, am I right?

"DOC" INGRAM:
Returned a lot of fire, yes.

CNN: And what
happened when you -- shortly after you had been hit, I think it
was the third shot?

"DOC" INGRAM: The
third shot -- well, the third shot was from a man at very close
range. I was tending one of the men on the ground when I noticed
or heard or something and I turned my head and he was about 15
feet from me and he shot me in the head. It was a real critical
day for me psychologically as well as physically.

This gentlemen looked
at me, and he obviously had never looked anybody in the eyes when
he shot them before because suddenly I had a personality and he
was really upset over it. You could tell it from his eyes.

Probably the most
painful thing I ever did in my life was eliminate him and get on
with the process.

CNN: Is this hard for
you to talk about? Relive these memories from so long ago?

"DOC" INGRAM: Yes. In
the early years it was much more difficult. I had much less
understanding of myself and everything else that went on over
there. I think I've developed some acceptance of the situation and
knowledge of why these things happen.

The most important
thing at this point is that all the men that I was there in the
rice paddy with, at least 25 of them, are here today.

This is a joyous
occasion for me.

CNN: All right, well
I want to say it's a real honor to talk to you and thank you very
much for joining us. I know it's about a half an hour away you'll
receive that medal.

Thank you very much.

"DOC" INGRAM: Thank
you.

The Medal of
Honor Award Ceremony

Aired July 10, 1998 -
3:15 p.m. ET

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN
CORRESPONDENT: And we take you now live at the state dining room
at the White House for quite a ceremony. Robert Ingram is about to
receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military
decoration, 32 years after his heroics in a battlefield in
Vietnam.

(COVERAGE OF LIVE
EVENT)

REAR ADMIRAL A. BYRON
HOLDERBY, CHIEF CHAPLAIN, U.S. NAVY: To be able to look back and
to know in our hearts that we have sought to travel the honorable
road. Had laid aside personal interest to care for the needs of
others, have refused to let fear overwhelm us, focusing instead on
the duty at hand, have believed in the rightness of our nation's
course, and have trusted in your hand to guide and preserve us.
This is a blessing and a gift that you must reserve for the brave.

Robert Ingram is
among those few so blessed. As he is honored this day, we give
thanks for his life and his example. His deeds inspire us all to
reach for what is good and what is honorable.

We pray that you will
continue to watch over and keep safe his family. Bless this
ceremony, preserve our nation, protect the men and women in our
Armed Forces, sustain our President, and accept please our praise
always. Amen.

BILL CLINTON,
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Welcome. Thank you, Admiral, for
your invocation. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the White House.
I thank Secretary Cohen and Secretary West, Secretary Gober,
Deputy Secretary Hamre, Secretary Dalton, Secretary Caldera,
Acting Air Force Secretary Peters, General Shelton and other
members of the Joint Chiefs, and general officers here present
today. I thank the members of the Congress from the Florida
delegation who are here, and other members of Congress, including
Senator Thurmond, Senator Graham, Senator Mack, Senator Glenn,
Senator Cleland, Representative Brown, Representative McHale and
all those in Congress whose action helped to make this day
possible.

Today, we present the
Medal of Honor, our nation's highest military honor, to Robert R.
Ingram for extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty
on March the 28th, 1966, in Quang Ngai province, South Vietnam.

Today, more than 30
years later, Bob Ingram is manager of a medical service practice
in Jacksonville, a registered nurse, a man who loves to work on
cars. His wife, Doris, his children and his close friends are here
with us today, and we welcome them.

His story spans
decades and continents, but across these divides, friendship and
loyalty have endured and have brought us to this moment.

Mr. Ingram enlisted
in the Navy in 1963, and joined the Hospital Corps. He went to
Vietnam with Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines in July 1965.
One day in February of 1966, the company came under heavy fire and
Petty Officer Ingram rushed forward to treat the wounded.

Enemy bullets
punctured both his canteens. When the unit's machine gunner was
hit, he manned the gun. And for his bravery on that day, he
received the Silver Star.

On March the 28th,
1966, Petty Officer Ingram accompanied the Point platoon, his
company, as it was suddenly attacked by 100 North Vietnamese in a
hail of automatic rifle fire. In moments the platoon was
decimated. Oblivious to the danger, he crawled across the terrain
to reach a wounded Marine. While administering aid, a bullet went
through his hand.

After administering
aid there, he heard more calls for a corpsman. Still bleeding, he
edged across the fire-swept landscape, collecting ammunition from
the dead and attending to the wounded, receiving two additional
wounds from rifle fire.

Though severely
wounded, he continued administering aid to the wounded and the
dying Marines while gathering ammunition and encouraging others
capable of doing so to return fire.

While dressing the
head wound of another corpsman, he sustained his fourth wound. And
during extreme pain from his own wounds and disregarding the
probability of his own death, Petty Officer Ingram pushed, pulled,
cajoled and doctored his Marines for hours more.

Losing strength and
almost unrecognizable from his injuries, finally he was pulled to
safety, where he tried to refuse evacuation, saying that others
should go first. His vital signs dropped to the point that he was
tagged "killed in action" and placed in a dead pile. But as you
can see, he did not die.

Eleven members of
Charlie Company, however, were killed that day, and 53 more were
wounded.

Some are alive today
because of the extraordinary selflessness and bravery of Robert
Ingram. Harvey Capler, a corporal in the lead platoon wrote last
year, "I observed Robert Ingram perform acts of heroism I had
never seen before, during or after my tour of Vietnam."

Mr. Ingram later
recalled: "I was just doing my job. My job was to take care of the
men."

Three weeks after the
attack, he wrote his platoon from his hospital bed. "I've got a
tube in my throat, leg elevated, arm elevated, can't move. But I
wanted you all to know, I'm still alive." After eight months
recovering, he went back to sea on another deployment.

Other members of the
company were honored for their bravery on that day in March of
1966. But no one doubted that Robert Ingram deserved the highest
honor.

We don't know how his
citation got lost all those years ago, but we do know why he is
here today, because his friends never forgot what he did for them.

Jim Fulkerson
commanded the third platoon of Charlie company. In 1995, he
organized a reunion of members of the battalion, including Bob
Ingram. They remembered the war, the endless cold soaking rains,
the terrible fire fights. And Ingram's friends resolved to do
everything possible to ensure that America finally gave him
appropriate recognition.

Charlie Company's
commander, Ben Goodwin, wrote to General Krulak. "I saw my fair
share of combat in Vietnam. Of all the men I brought with me, Doc
Ingram was undoubtedly the most courageous."

Mr. Ingram is the
22nd Navy corpsman to receive the Medal of Honor, and his award
comes appropriately as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the
Navy Hospital Corps.

Through all our
conflicts, they have been there on ships at sea, on the front
lines -- performing foxhole surgery, saving thousands of lives
while risking and sometimes sacrificing their own.

I salute their
courageous service to our nation.

The last troops left
Vietnam almost 25 years ago now. But we do not and we must not
forget their sacrifices and bravery.

As Mr. Capler
recently wrote of the firefight in Quang Ngai that day: "As I grow
old, I look back to that day and the heroism of the Marines and
our Navy corpsmen, and I understand what is meant by the highest
traditions of service. I'm extremely proud to call Robert Ingram a
friend."

On that battlefield
so many years ago, Robert Ingram performed truly heroic deeds and
asked for nothing in return. At long last it is time to honor him.

Mr. Ingram, on behalf
of all Americans, we thank you for your service, for your courage,
for your determination, for your loyalty to comrades and country.
We are all proud to call you an American. Hillary and I are proud
that you are in the White House with us today, and I am very proud
to award you the Medal of Honor.

Major Eberhardt, read
the citation.

MAJOR EBERHARDT: The
President of the United States, in the name of the Congress, takes
pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Hospital Corpsman 3rd
Class Robert R. Ingram, United States Navy, for service set forth
in the following citation.

For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond
the call of duty while serving as corpsman with Company C, 1st
Battalion, 7th Marines against elements of a North Vietnam
aggressive battalion in Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam,
on 28 March, 1966. Petty Officer Ingram accompanied the point
platoon as it aggressively engaged an outposts of an NVA
battalion. As the battle moved off a ridge line, down a
tree-covered slope into a small rice paddy and village beyond, a
tree line suddenly exploded in an intense hell of automatic rifle
fire from approximately 100 North Vietnamese regulars. In moments,
the platoon was decimated.

Oblivious to the
danger, Petty Officer Ingram crawled across the battlefield to
reach a down Marine.

He administered aid;
a bullet went through the palm of his hand.

The calls for
corpsmen echoed across the ridge. Bleeding, he edged across the
fire-swept landscape collecting ammunition from the dead and
administering aid to the wounded. Receiving two more wounds, with
the third wound being a life-threatening one, he looked for a way
off the face of the ridge. But again, he heard the call for help,
and he resolutely answered.

He gathered
magazines, resupplied and encouraged those capable of returning
fire and rendered aid to the more severely wounded until he
finally reached the right flank of the platoon. While dressing the
head wound of another corpsman, he sustained his fourth bullet
wound.

From 1600 hours until
almost sunset, Petty Officer Ingram pushed, pulled, cajoled and
doctored his Marines. And during the pain from his many wounds and
disregarding the probability of his own death, Petty Officer
Ingram's gallant actions saved many lives.

By his indomitable
fighting spirit, daring initiative and unfaltering dedication to
duty, Petty Officer Ingram reflected great credit upon himself and
upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

(APPLAUSE)

(END OF COVERAGE)

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN
CORRESPONDENT: Robert Ingram receives the nation's highest
military decoration 32 years after his heroics on a battlefield in
Vietnam. About an hour ago, he told us here at CNN that after he
had been shot four times, he resisted evacuation because he knew
he was going to die, he told us, and he wanted to continue working
to help the other men around him. But as you heard the president
say, even though he was tagged "killed in action," and put in a
pile of bodies, Robert Ingram lived and 32 years later receives
his day, the day he receives the Medal of Honor.

We were glad to bring
you that ceremony.

Subsequent Award
Ceremony Reporting

Aired July 10, 1998 -
6:10 p.m. ET

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN
ANCHOR: Here in Washington, a another long overdue ceremony for a
surviving hero of the Vietnam war. Thirty-two years after his
remarkable action under fire, Robert Ingram received the nation's
highest military award at the White House.

CNN's Jonathan Karl
reports.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN
CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tragedy and heroics in Vietnam more
than three decades ago -- now, a hero is belatedly awarded the
nation's highest military honor.

(APPLAUSE)

Robert Ingram's
Vietnam experience reads like a Hollywood script, but it's a
real-life story of heroics in combat.

ROBERT "DOC" INGRAM,
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: You can lay there under
fire and die, or you can get up and go. I decided the men needed
me out there.

CNN: Ingram was a
21-year-old Navy medical corpsman when disaster struck his unit in
March 1966. Under heavy enemy fire, he tended to injured marines
in the field. He was hit, and hit again. A third shot hit his
head. He saw the enemy and returned fire.

"DOC" INGRAM: When I
turned and looked into his eyes, I saw what I had felt already.
When you take someone's life, and they suddenly have a
personality, it's not an easy thing to do. I just felt great pain
knowing that the enemy was no different than we were.

CNN: Facing almost
certain death, Ingram kept on, tending to the injured and
gathering ammunition in the field until...

BILL CLINTON,
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: His vital signs dropped to the
point that he was tagged "killed in action" and placed in a dead
pile. But as you can see, he did not die.

CNN: Ingram's
Congressional Medal of Honor comes after a lobbying campaign by
the men who credit him for saving their lives.

U.S. SEN. BOB GRAHAM
(D), FLORIDA: He served with enormous heroism and gallantry, but
didn't think of himself as being heroic. It was his friends who
said, "Bob, you ought to receive the Congressional Medal Of
Honor."

CNN: Modest even now,
Ingram has mixed feelings about being honored.

"DOC" INGRAM: After
going to the wall last night, seeing all those names on the wall,
including my guys -- I'm here today, being recognized, and I am
really overwhelmed by all the attention. Seeing them on the wall
is all there is.

The following
information is from the United States Navy

Former Hospital
Corpsman 3rd Class Robert R. Ingram was presented the Medal of
Honor by President Clinton for "conspicuous gallantry" during the
Vietnam War. Secretary of the Navy John Dalton; Adm. Jay L.
Johnson, Chief of Naval Operations; and Gen. Charles C. Krulak,
Commandant of the Marine Corps, attended the ceremony in the State
Dining Room, along with approximately 40 former Marines coming
from across the country Mr. Ingram, a native of Clearwater, Fla.,
now living in Jacksonville, is the first Navy member in 20 years
to receive the Medal of Honor. The last, awarded in 1979 was
posthumous.

On March 28, 1966,
HM3 Ingram, then 21, accompanied the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines on
a search and destroy mission against North Vietnam Army forces
suspected of being in a village complex in Quang Ngai province.
Upon reaching the village, the lead platoon destroyed an enemy
outpost but in doing so alerted the main body of NVA
forces.

A firefight ensued
with about 100 NVA shooting at the Marines, immediately killing or
wounding members of the lead squad. Calls of "corpsman!" were
everywhere. HM3 Ingram rushed through the fire to get to a wounded
Marine, and, as he grasped the Marine to roll him over, was shot
through the hand. He proceeded to two more patients and was shot
through the knee. Limping, he moved on to other casualties.

Medal of Honor
recipient and former U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Robert Ingram and
his wife Doris watch the U.S. Marine Corps band perform on the
White House lawn. President William J. Clinton awarded Ingram the
military's highest award for his gallant actions during the
Vietnam War. U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 1st Class S. Todd
Stevens. [980710-N-0132S-002] Hi-Rez

At this point, an NVA
soldier popped up from a spider hole and shot Ingram. The bullet
came in beneath his right eye, went through his sinuses, and
exited at the left side of the skull where the jaw attaches. Petty
Officer Ingram returned the fire, killing the NVA soldier. Mr.
Ingram recounted: "This must have been the first time that soldier
had shot someone while looking him in the face. I could see the
look of sorrow in his eyes."

Petty Officer Ingram
then sought more casualties. While moving a fallen fellow hospital
corpsman to safety, he was shot through the lower portion of his
torso. Amid incoming mortar and antiaircraft fire, HM3 Ingram
continued to tend the wounded, gather magazines and resupply those
capable of returning fire. He finally returned to a friendly
position. He then tried to refuse medical evacuation so others
would be taken out first. As he was placed on a medevac
helicopter, his bullet-riddled body was tagged "killed in
action".

The Medal of Honor
came 32 years after the action. During a reunion, his comrades had
discovered that the original citation had apparently been lost,
and they petitioned the Navy and Congress in Mr. Ingram's
behalf.

Mr. Ingram enlisted
in the Navy in November 1963. After completing recruit training at
San Diego, he requested and was assigned to Hospital Corps School
in Jan. 1964. Following Corps School, he underwent Field Medical
Service School (FMSS) at Camp Pendleton.

After a short tour
with Company "B", 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division,
Camp Pendleton, he transferred to Company "C" in late spring 1965.
The unit arrived in Vietnam in July 1965 after further training in
Okinawa.

HM3 Ingram received a
Silver Star for his action when on Feb. 8, 1966, elements of
Company "C" took heavy fire while assaulting an enemy-held
village. HM3 Ingram rushed to treat between 12 and 14 wounded. The
unit's machine gunner was hit, and Ingram manned the gun until
relieved.

Mr. Ingram,
discharged from the Navy in 1968, is now a registered nurse at a
family practice in Jacksonville, where he lives with his wife
Doris. The couple have a son and a daughter.